1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

How do you leave 'B' mode

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by meannotgreen, Jul 29, 2009.

  1. meannotgreen

    meannotgreen New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2009
    33
    3
    0
    Location:
    UK
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Am I right in thinking that to leave B mode you move the shift lever to D even while you're still moving?
    Can't find the answer in the manual - it only tells you how to move to B and otherwise generally warns against changing modes when the car is moving.
     
  2. Therand

    Therand New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2009
    31
    10
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV

    I've only done a few hill tests with "B" mode but selecting "D" while moving works fine. I would have a hard time believing switching between "B" and "D" while driving would be a problem since there are plenty of Interstates that have 5-6% grades.
     
    1 person likes this.
  3. yardman 49

    yardman 49 Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2009
    606
    77
    0
    Location:
    Northern Kentucky
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Yes, just switching back to "D" while driving is correct.
     
    2 people like this.
  4. meannotgreen

    meannotgreen New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2009
    33
    3
    0
    Location:
    UK
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    That's what I thought and likewise I've tried it a few times and it works ok. I think I'd just like to see it written down somewhere for peace of mind!
     
  5. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Only modes you shouldn't select while moving forward are reverse and park.
    Switch between B and D with gay abandon and complete impunity!
     
    1 person likes this.
  6. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2008
    963
    247
    0
    Location:
    Reading, UK
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    If you try it and you're travelling sufficiently fast, the car will switch to neutral rather than try to do what you asked.

    Warning: the Gen 2 seems to consider less than 5 mph slow enough to go into Park! You get a nasty slam stop if you're still moving. I hope I didn't damage any part of the transmission when I hit the button a bit early that one time...
     
  7. Therand

    Therand New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2009
    31
    10
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV

    I haven't had any issues switching between "D" and "N" either. Note - it takes a second for the shifter to acknowledge shifting to neutral but it works just fine.
     
  8. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,074
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Keep in mind that you can overspeed MG1 by coasting in N. If you switch to N when the ICE is off, the ICE will not spin even if it needs to control the speed of MG1. In other words, coasting down a steep hill in N can be hazardous to your HSD.

    Tom
     
    5 people like this.
  9. mgb4tim

    mgb4tim Noob

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2009
    1,153
    111
    9
    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    And is illegal in some (if not most/all) states.
     
  10. lamontcranston

    lamontcranston Umbra Tenet

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2009
    212
    17
    0
    Location:
    Southern California
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    OK, I did some google searching and figured out what those abbreviations mean.

    Do you guys find that you use "B" a lot? I know someone with a Prius and he didn't even know what "B" did.
     
  11. FBear

    FBear Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2004
    355
    23
    0
    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Four
    It stands for Motor/Generator 1.
     
  12. a priori

    a priori Canonus Curiosus

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2007
    3,083
    407
    23
    Location:
    Chicagoland (West)
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Enough about sheep, Pat.
     
  13. creativeguy

    creativeguy Member

    Joined:
    May 21, 2009
    301
    17
    0
    Location:
    CA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    This is true. I rented a Prius and accidentally put it in reverse while driving on the freeway at high speeds. The car beeped at me, I think, and otherwise nothing else happened.
     
  14. Kds45

    Kds45 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2008
    10
    0
    0
    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I use it some. I jump back out of it as soon as I can, because you can't use Cruise Control when in B. The only big test I gave B was going East over Monteagle, TN. B held me at perfect speed until the grade leveled, and then I just slipped back to D and went back on Cruise.
     
  15. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    19,891
    1,192
    9
    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Specifically, if you exceed 62-63mph MG1 will spin over 10k rpm.
     
  16. swich2mac

    swich2mac Go Hard or Go Home!

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2009
    319
    38
    0
    Location:
    Franklin, TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I am a first time Prius owner and I have no Idea what the "B" mode does! ;)
     
  17. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2005
    4,067
    687
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    It gives you engine braking in addition to applying some regenerative braking (when you are not pushing the throttle of course). If I remember correctly the regen braking from B Mode was about 50% of what you could get from applying maximum regenerative braking in D. It acts sort of like low range in a conventional automatic transmission.

    The only use I ever found for it was coming down a long steep hills with the battery at a fairly high SOC. Then it will save some wear on the friction brakes.

    On the Gen2 again, and almost certainly on the Gen3 as well, if you forgot and left it in B it would shift itself back to D after some number of minutes, maybe 5 or so. Also as previously stated the cruise control won't work in B which can act as a reminder.
     
  18. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,074
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Evan is one of the brave (stupid? ;)) test pilots that have experimented with this limit.

    Tom
     
  19. jay_man2

    jay_man2 jay_man_also

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2009
    1,246
    143
    0
    Location:
    Manassas, VA
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    98% of the time I leave B mode alone. :D
     
  20. MaggieMay

    MaggieMay Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2009
    534
    68
    0
    Location:
    Gloucester, MA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    On steep hills and grades - B is awesome. It's a little like downshifting in a normal car, except that it really holds the car back. My guess is that if you live in a fairly flat to rolling hills geography you won't use it.